Our Favorite Treats!

Today I wanted to share our favorite treats! I've been making some of these as we've been home the last two weeks and I'm sure I'll make more before this is all over :)


Better than Box Brownies 

These are the closest to box brownies that I've ever found, homemade. They are actually better than box brownies because they aren't too sweet but still rich and just the right texture.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Kvfnmhd8rZ7CS9gJRmF7wBqfSqUjmHhLI9-TXXKlQrc


Lemon Bars 

I've always loved lemon bars and basically any pastry. This is a recipe I got from the booklet that came with our blender as a teenager.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14F-GIQCYgX2tceI17LCrMsYNV_wyAzOu3l5TCokZK00/edit?usp=sharing


Chocolate/White Chocolate Chip Cookies 

This is my favorite texture for cookies, if you get the flour amount right. They are soft and fluffy and the white chocolate chips make them my absolute favorite.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1oIfLy5iO3cKp8etO1avjBWmHuvfdPo_NEqlG1_7pd-Q


Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies 

These are amazing! They have the richest, moist-est chocolate cookies. Do NOT get too much flour.

You can also leave out the chocolate chips and put cream cheese frosting between two to make the most amazing homemade Oreos ever. I've also put ice cream between two, wrapped it in plastic wrap, and left in the freezer for a few hours to make a homemade ice cream sandwich. When I make both these recipes, I use a 1/2 tbsp to scoop rather than a full tablespoon.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ibJbJAuK3qh61leMnB-dit9UoajWGIEc6bL3mqGy4gg


Pumpkin Pie Cookies 

These use almond flour, but they have the best texture, just like pumpkin pie. I never put in the chocolate chips. Ben loves them plain, I love them with a little dollop of whipped cream on top (which is actually how we both like our pumpkin pie as well).

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PDk2CqcfAMxfZr9MJkbv5Hc0JCcg_FcbKG0dUW6ExHI/edit?usp=sharing


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 

The flavor of these cookies is amazing. Don't get too much flour and they are super moist as well.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10jbrt01DQpsgd7Ba4BOu4BipF8TtypDQl97zjwgXGG0/edit?usp=sharing


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins 

This is my favorite muffin recipe. They are so moist and yummy!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Oi7ZmbnsBy5AXHzC9MIRW0ovBE81OzKl6FAZIac2Axo/edit?usp=sharing


Healthier Cheesecake 

This is a really yummy cheesecake with some added protein to help balance it a little.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qrYbby6sytdwclWdvDbQAg0l8qGZkyZlcgEFqTS73PI


Chocolate Zucchini Cake 

This is my mother-in-law's recipe and it makes such a moist cake!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AK2VxXvyABTEJjmCymb6CvzkheLYYbgfwgHo0IfuxR4/edit?usp=sharing


Cinnamon Rolls 

Cinnamon Rolls are so yummy! I use my bread machine to mix up the dough before rolling them out. I also make a cream cheese frosting for the top (beat 8 ounces cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter, softened; add 2 tsp vanilla and 1 cup powered sugar).

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dYs-9M8MudxytyWESSFW1rTYw6aTuBgEWEZeC-NKPhE/edit?usp=sharing


Fry Donuts (Glazed) 

These are some of the best and easiest fry donuts! I use my bread machine to mix them as well.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V3POmOBhaFF4Lk28dEcQ_pH4RcNd65xbGbkNdBqQ8FA/edit?usp=sharing


Puffed Wheat Cereal 

This is one of Ben's favorite treats and it's fairly easy and inexpensive. I buy my puffed red wheat off of Vitacost.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_bfKVEgyoOQ17NAdiv35bcYqLqbyqVfYWyK2hoVOGCs/edit?usp=sharing


Chocolate Cream Pie 

This is a little more work, but my absolute favorite pie!

Pie crust recipe: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13wXd4kVm41ywGbTT9fy22zMPqN-mUvDd5sM_DjyLF70/edit?usp=sharing

Filling: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sbfHTOEvfrBMEvLnL4ZWGZBmV-egJ0K0Xr-iduIOD6s/edit?usp=sharing


The Best Apple Pie 

Ben's favorite pie is apple pie and this is his favorite recipe because it's not too sweet. I get very green apples when I make this. I use the same pie crust recipe as above. I usually don't use the lemon juice.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kY6q3Uo1t-K8mDICr-wPfLnWgePy6kCYqWa0MrffCkw/edit?usp=sharing


Pumpkin Pie 

This was my grandma's recipe and is everyone's favorite pumpkin pie; it has just the right amount of seasonings versus pumpkin flavor. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FMj_shwpltFA9g979_DSrYb6ssrmZcQBiLMbGo7r2jw/edit?usp=sharing


Chocolate Ice Cream 

This is our homemade ice cream recipe and it's amazing. You can make vanilla by simply leaving out the cocoa and lessening the sweetener a little. If you don't have an ice cream machine, this recipe works poured into Popsicle molds to make homemade creamies.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lKqVEfwpbfJuKAsbhR2LfyRd8lnbnRAhjWU06s88LdU/edit?usp=sharing


Raspberry Sherbet

Same considerations as the chocolate ice cream

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pIgwMo_XSxTUQ0Oe9gmjnZPd547e8cnzaDK3649g5nY


Cream Cheese Ice Cream 

This is my personal favorite of our homemade flavors. It is so creamy and has a rich cream cheese flavor. I love to eat it with a few raspberries mixed in. Ben likes it with graham crackers sprinkled on top.

A note: it's very important to use unsweetened almond milk. Regular cow's milk adds flavor and diminishes the cream cheese flavor.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ED8JiI_27zZy4jntMNviglLtX_R-Ea1dJoSFytJJOag/edit?usp=sharing


Popsicles 

These use only fruit juice and beef gelatin, but they are yummy. They are also lower mess, because of the gelatin. Our kids LOVE these.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JSlbzZYNYeIG9YvmEsZASdxiKgsDTkmpe3L6j0U_CL0


Hot Chocolate 

This is the creamiest hot chocolate and just the right amount of sweet. I use dutch cocoa powder.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lGT3mY7NIl9qRNDyWJDVp5e8-VRhGhiggWYqvSTpVlY/edit?usp=sharing


White Hot Chocolate 

This is one of our favorites! It's seriously like drinking warm ice cream and is super easy to put together.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J9K74Hioshc3Mwv2D7zGCUx4YaVyT1Lwx34BqqZjCv0/edit?usp=sharing

Thinking of Prepping

Wow, things have turned pretty crazy, haven't they? With all the craziness going on, it's helped me see areas where we are pretty prepared and others that need more work. We have enough food to last awhile (wheat for bread, beans and rice, etc.) but not everything I would want and definitely not a lot of variety. The things we lack the most are meats (canned or frozen) and canned or frozen produce. We're also good on things like toilet paper and diapers for a short while, but not very long term. 

It's gotten Ben and I to talk more about how we want to prepare better moving forward. It's been a real wake up call to us and I'm grateful for that. 

The first thing I've done is made a list of everything I'd like to have in our long term storage and how much of each item. I love lists like this and we can begin slowly building this list up as the craziness dies down. 

The other thing we've decided to do is invest some of our emergency fund into food. We currently have $15,000 in the bank in case of emergency, enough for us to keep a minimum budget (i.e. no pizza or Netflix) for six months. This has been great to have as Ben's business has brought in less the last couple of years. We haven't had to tap into it, but it's been wonderful to have. 

However, with how bare the store shelves have been the last few weeks, I've realized that there are a lot of situations that could come up where the money wouldn't do us a lot of good. Any time there is an emergency that affects more than just us could lead to us not being able to get some of the things we need or want. 

So I sat down and figured out what a minimum budget would look like for us if we weren't shopping at all (no online Costco orders or grocery store visits). For six months, we would need about $13,000. We have decided to take that $2,000 and buy food and necessities (i.e. toilet paper) with it now, using it to stock up on a six month supply. Obviously, we'll do this after all this craziness is over. 

From there, we can slowly build up our food storage, but we'll both feel a lot better if we have enough supplies to survive without going to the store for six months. I love this plan, because we still have enough in the bank to cover our expenses (mortgage, utilities, insurance, etc.). It will simply allow us to be prepared for a wider range of emergencies and be in a position to help more people if another situation like this occurs. 

I'm so grateful for the prophets' counsel to prepare for hard times. Even if nothing catastrophic happens in our lifetime, we will be prepared for the downs of life. I'm also so grateful for the people who have helped and supported us through this time. We are truly blessed. 

Faith During the Coronavirus

Everyone is talking about the Coronavirus and many are freaking out about it. The store shelves are emptying daily, events are being canceled, and many are afraid for the future. 

I don't have a lot to add to all this. I've seen many logical, calm posts about staying calm and being smart (staying home where possible, washing hands, etc.). If you haven't seen President Nelson's message of peace, that is a great one to watch. 

Today, I just wanted to talk about my own feelings. I am a little nervous that if this goes on longer than a few months, we'll start running out of staples. I hate that I can't just go to the store to get what we need. It's hard to not be able to do things with the kids like go to the library or the store. But I understand why and I fully support it. 

But I am not scared of the future. I know that if we run out of supplies, we have friends and families who can help us. I know that if the stock market and economy suffer, we'll ride it out and then it will be okay again. I know that if we get the sickness, we'll probably be fine and that if we have family members who die from it, we'll get through that with God's help as well. And if things turn bad and don't get better, I know that we'll get through that too, with God's help. We've been warned of things like this in the last days, but we've also been promised that God will help us in our time of need. 

In short, I have faith. We should prepare where we can, especially as this crisis passes. I know that this has been eye opener for me, of where I am prepared and where I am lacking. I'm so grateful for this kick in the pants to get on our preparedness for the future. As we prepare physically, though, it's even more important to prepare spiritually. As we keep faith--and not fear--in the Lord and his plan, we will be able to have compassion, help others in need, and truly be Christlike, even in this midst of a hard time. 

My Talk on Temple Blessings

I was asked to speak today in sacrament meeting. I thought I would post the written version of my talk. 

Temple Blessings Talk 

Good afternoon. I am excited, and nervous, to be up here. Today, I’ve been asked to speak on temple blessings, something very close to my heart. 

I think my testimony of temples really started when I was a senior in high school. I was in seminary one day at the beginning of the school year and we were talking about temples. Somehow, the idea of it being hard to go to the temple with how busy we all were came up. My seminary teacher then taught me a lesson that I will never forget. 

He asked us to think about the people who had already passed on, who had accepted the gospel and were waiting for us on earth to perform those ordinances they so desired. What were they thinking? He suggested, as we were focused on our friends and homework and dating, that they might be thinking, “What is more important than my salvation?” 

That idea, that phrase, hit me hard. What is more important than their salvation? Is homework, or hanging out with friends, or taking a nap, really more important? For me, the answer was no. That lesson motivated me, along with my younger brother, to begin attending the temple weekly. We went every Thursday that year--we missed one week when we were sick. As I attended the temple that year, my testimony of the temple and the blessings that come from diligently attending the temple, was formed. 

That year, I saw many blessings, and as I have attended the temple since then--I’ve had ups and downs with how diligently--I’ve seen those same blessings. 

One of the biggest blessings of the temple is the peace that comes to us as we attend. In a talk on temple blessings in April 2015, President Monson said, “As we enter through the doors of the temple, we leave behind us the distractions and confusion of the world. Inside this sacred sanctuary, we find beauty and order. There is rest for our souls and respite from the cares of our lives.”

I have felt this in my own life. Since Ben and I have had children, it’s been a lot harder to attend the temple, partly because it feels like a good excuse. It’s hard to find babysitters, it’s hard to sit that long while pregnant, it’s hard to leave for that long while nursing. 

But are those things more important than someone’s salvation? 

As I have struggled to attend the temple, I have found something interesting. It’s hard to go! Up until the moment I am, like President Monson said, walking through the doors of the temple, I struggle with the effort of going. But as soon as I am through the doors, I am so glad I came. I am filled with the Spirit and feel peace. 

Speaking of that peace, President Monson said, “Such peace can permeate any heart--hearts that are troubled, hearts that are burdened down with grief, hearts that feel confusion, hearts that plead for help.” 

I am so grateful the Lord has sent us such a place of sanctuary! 

Another related blessing is the strength we receive from temple attendance, that we take with us as we come back to the day to day life. President Monson said, “In our lives, we will have temptations; we will have trials and challenges. As we go to the temple, as we remember the covenants we make there, we will be better able to overcome those temptations and to bear our trials. In the temple, we can find peace.” 

This strength comes as we regularly attend the temple. Regular attendance allows us to reaffirm our covenants often and to then remember those covenants better as we go about our lives.

Another related blessing is the answers to prayer we can receive while in the temple. In the temple, the veil is thinner and we are closer to God and heaven than at any other time. This allows us to receive revelation in a way different than at any other time. 

As we are in the temple, we are also anxiously engaged in God’s work, bringing the Holy Ghost and allowing us a strong connection with heaven. Quentin L. Cook said, “Often in the temple, and as we engage in family history research, we feel promptings and have impressions from the Holy Ghost.”  

I remember the first time I went to the temple seeking an answer. I was twenty years old and had a mission call; The time from my getting my call to my leaving was about six months and I was leaving in a couple months. Then Ben asked me to marry him, whether that meant me staying home or him waiting while I went on my mission. Marrying Ben was something I had dreamed about for years and I felt very torn. I wanted to make the right decision, not just the one that I wanted. 

That day in the temple, the answer came so clearly. As I sat in the temple, I had my answer--either one was a good choice. Neither was the “right” choice. I was able to move forward (I did decide to stay home) with peace in my heart that it was a choice that God wanted for me. It was another time my testimony of the temple was strengthened. 

Another temple blessing is the work itself we do in the temple. Something that Ben and I are trying to teach our own children is that work is a blessing from God. He has asked us to work for us, not for him. The temple is one of the ways that He has given us to work and serve others. 

Through family history work and through performing temple ordinances for others, we are able to bring others to the gospel. We are given a way to serve them! Sometimes it feels like only certain things “count” when it comes to service, things like helping someone move or taking them dinner. I know sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough, but it can feel hard to find ways to serve. We need to remember that missionary work is an important form of service and that the temple is one way we can perform missionary work!  

Quentin L. Cook has said, “The primary blessings of the temple are the ordinances of exaltation. The gospel plan is about exaltation and encompasses making and keeping sacred covenants with God.” 

If we don’t perform those ordinances--including baptism and the sacred temple ordinances--then everything else we do in this life don’t really matter. Our salvation is dependent upon those temple ordinances, and we have the opportunity to help others reach that salvation. 

Perhaps the greatest blessinsg of the temple are the eternal blessings we commit to. We are here to make it back to God, and to help as many as we can do the same. What better way than to do so in the temple! And with our families! 

President Monson, speaking of the sealing of families, said, “There is no blessing more precious to me than the peace and comfort I receive from the knowledge I have that she and I will be together again.” 

I feel the same! There is no blessing more precious to me than my family, and I am so grateful that temples make it possible for me to be with them for all eternity. 

I remember when Ben and I were preparing to get married, we made appointments with our bishops. To get sealed in the temple, you get a special recommend specifically for the sealing. 

My interview with the bishop was pretty typical for me until the last question. As I finished the interview with him, my bishop looked at me and asked me if I felt I was worthy to enter the temple of the Lord and be sealed to Ben. 

As I thought over my teenage and first college years, I was overwhelmed by the Spirit. I knew that I had kept my life clean, and I was filled with gratitude for the leaders, friends, and family who had taught me and helped me do so. I was grateful for the Spirit and for repentance. I was so grateful to say yes to that question, and I felt my Heavenly Father with me. 

In the temple on our wedding day, after Ben and I got dressed, they needed us to wait a little bit while our family was still arriving. We sat on a secluded bench in the corner of a hallway somewhere, just the two of us, ready to commit to each other. We held hands and I remember looking down at our hands, intertwined, and knowing that I was making the right choice, in the right place, with the right person. And for me, Benjamin is the biggest blessing I have received from the temple. 

President Monson said, “May our Heavenly Father bless us that we have the spirit of temple worship.”

I love that phrase, the spirit of temple worship. As I am progressing in this life, I know that I will come up against hardships and trials. I know that I will be imperfect. How grateful I am for a temple so close and the temple blessings God has given me! 

I know that as we attend the temple, we will be blessed for it. I know that God uses us to help bring salvation to others. I know that the temple is the house of God. I know that through making and keeping sacred covenants in the temple, we can one day return back to our Heavenly Father and be with our families for eternity. 

My Testimony of the Gospel

Today I wanted to share a simple testimony of the gospel.

I have a testimony of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that it holds the full gospel, contains saving ordinances found nowhere else, and helps us to become more like our Heavenly Father.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It was given to us in our day to testify of Christ and teach us how to better serve God. I know that as we make the Book of Mormon a priority in our lives, we are blessed with strength and the Spirit.

I know that President Nelson is a prophet of God, called by God to lead us today. I know that as we strive to follow his teachings, we will draw closer to God and be blessed for it.

I know that families can be together forever. I know that the temple contains saving ordinances and that as we keep our covenants, we will grow together towards God and be blessed together for eternity.

I know that Heavenly Father loves me, and loves his children. I know He wants what is best for us and will help us in whatever way he can. Sometimes this means trials, sometimes this means blessings, usually it means both. I know that as we draw near to Him through prayer and try our best to keep His commandments, we will feel His love, not only for ourselves, but for all His children.

I know that Jesus died for me. His atonement makes it possible to keep trying and to one day return to Heavenly Father and be like Him. Without the atonement, all would be lost, but with it, all becomes possible.

I am so grateful for the gospel in my life. I am so grateful for my family, for my husband, and for my children. I'm grateful for influences in my life, such as the Book of Mormon, the temple, and the prophet. I feel so beyond blessed to have been born into such a wonderful family who taught me, through words and through example, about the gospel.